This Is It
by Serafina Claremond
Summary: They got lost in conversation, distracting themselves and keeping their eyes off the crowd. He kept his arm around her when she rested her head on his shoulder. And he knew: it was fate. Oneshot! LydiaxStiles!


**Author's Note:** Prompt Fulfillment from styida-fanfiction tumblr! Please enjoy!

* * *

The day didn't start unusually enough; sure, the California sun was shielded by a thick blanket of gray clouds and the threat of rain loomed over Beacon Hills. Admittedly, it was strange that Coach didn't yell at him on the field at practice this morning, or in class later that afternoon. Stiles wasn't even a little concerned that everyone except Allison was late to meet him after school where they agreed to make plans for Homecoming tomorrow night. _Because none of it meant anything, especially nothing supernatural_ , he assured himself as he leaned back against his trusty, reliable Jeep.

He glanced over at Allison again, wondering why she was standing an uncomfortable distance away from him; an inch closer, and he never would've noticed. But given how much they spent together trying to save their families and to protect Scott, that inch should not have been there. He scratched at the back of his neck and checked the time again, eyes flickering every other second from the school to Allison. When he'd done it for the hundredth time, the huntress snapped, "What, Stiles?"

"N-nothing." At least, he didn't think she needed to know what was on his mind. She's already so offended.

Allison narrowed her eyes at him, before speaking again, much softer this time. "I know we don't talk as much anymore, especially since Scott and I broke up. But given how junior year has been going so far, we might only have each other."

They didn't take any classes together, other than English, but Lydia and Scott were in that class too. It wasn't like they shared any of the same interests either. _For example, I play lacrosse and she shoots arrows in things._ Still slack-jawed, he almost asked her why, but Cora and Isaac caught his eye. He smirked, nodding in their direction so she could watch them too. They were walking an awkward foot apart, but kept sending small smiles to each other as corners of their eyes crinkled. When they walked up to the Jeep, Isaac stopped next to Allison but rested his weight on his left foot, leaning towards Cora. And Derek's little sister stood squarely, face sober and arms folded over her chest, glancing at Isaac every so often.

Allison laughed and Stiles knew exactly what she saw: the two of them were painfully unaware of how poorly concealed they kept their romance. It wasn't a secret anymore, but until they decided to tell the pack - or at least, stop hiding it - they agreed to play along. But that didn't mean Stiles couldn't have any fun. He gestured to her hair. "What happened here?"

"None of your business," she barked, but went ahead and smoothed out her hair. "Finally, the True Alpha has arrived."

Scott walked up with Lydia, chatting about Kira, who was nowhere in sight. The kitsune had a habit of sneaking up on the pack, more of a shy habit than a vicious intention. Cora groaned, eager to leave. "What's the point of his little powwow?"

"We need to figure out rides, if we're going as a group or if people want to go alone with their dates," Allison answered, avoiding eye contact with Scott. Stiles watched her play with Lydia's perfectly curled hair, asking, "Lyds, you going with Aiden?"

He grimaced at the question, completely missing the hint of regret on the Allison's face as soon as she asked. Lydia flipped her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder and said, "No. He's just a distraction, so we agreed not to go on any dates together. But leaving with him is a different story."

Stiles could hear the wink in her voice as he kept his eyes down, tugging on his blue flannel. She's done nothing wrong, be happy for her.

"I asked Kira!" Scott exclaimed suddenly, wincing just as soon as he changed the subject. Allison's eyes drifted away, her hand scratching at her wrist.

"Yeah, man. We know," Stiles said, patting his best friend on the back. Pointing a finger gun at him, he offered, "If you need help with anything, I'm your guy."

Cora nodded towards Allison and pointed out, "Looks like that leaves the two humans."

"What about you and I—" Lydia started to ask and then decided against it. Good going, Lyds. "What about Derek?"

"Do you wanna go with my brother?"

Allison stammered, her eyes moving side to side, looking for an excuse. "N-no, Cora, that's fine—"

"I was talking to Stilinski."

The huntress broke into laughter first, her sides beginning to ache as the rest of the pack joined in. Even Stiles, who bit down hard to stifle his own laughs, couldn't keep the cheeky grin off his face.

"No, that…ha that's okay, I'll go with Allison." Noticing Scott cast his gaze downward, Stiles stepped back and corrected himself. "Unless she wants to go with someone else."

She smiled at him. "I'll go with you."

Lydia pursed her lips and gave Stiles a once-over, eyes slightly narrowing. But she shook it off and said, "Alright! So you, Cora, and Isaac will go with Stiles in his Jeep. And I'll take Scott and his vixen."

"Glad we figured it out, guys, see you tomorrow night," Scott mumbled. His shoulders slumped down and he gave a small wave, rushing off to his bike. Lydia followed suit; Stiles assumed she was probably off to find Aiden.

"That was," Allison paused, trying to find the right word, but lamely finished with, "weird. Did Lydia seem off to you?"

"Scott too," Stiles agreed. Cora snorted. Both of them looked at her, and she explained, "Right. Like they'd want the two of you to go on a date."

"We're not going on a date," Allison argued.

"Homecoming?"

"That is not a date. That is a 'everyone else has a date and Allison was left' kind of thing."

"Hey!" Allison reached over to smack Stiles, but he merely shrugged it off with a hint of an apologetic look.

"Look, we get it," Isaac remarked. "But those two? They're jealous."

The last two words hung in the air as he and Cora walked away, off to appease Derek and be home by dark. If the pack had picked up on their secret romance, Derek had to have known already and made his opinions on it very clear. Stiles hesitated for a brief second, then asked, "Why don't I take you home?"

"That would be great, since Lydia left me." They climbed into the Jeep, and Stiles tried to think back to the last time he'd given her a ride alone, without Scott. "So, uh, how have you been?"

"Pretty okay." She kept quiet, possibly mulling over a response. "Do you still have feelings for Lydia?"

"W-what?"

"I know, but I keep thinking about what Isaac and Cora said."

"You mean the conversation with Isaac and Cora that happened two minutes ago?"

"Don't get smart with me. If you had the chance to make her jealous, would you?"

"Honestly?" He asked, waiting for her to nod in response. "No. She doesn't have feelings for me, so it would be unnecessary drama."

"I think she has genuine feelings for you that she hasn't exactly realized yet. But I can help with that, Stiles."

"Then that's something she has to realize on her own. I can't force her to be with me."

"We wouldn't be forcing her, just easing out her feelings. Maybe she just needs a little bit of help. You've liked her since the fourth grade, right?"

"It was the third grade," he automatically corrected. Then he stopped the car and said, "Wait. Who told you that? Scott? It was Scott. Damn it, Scott."

"It's no big deal, I, uh," she coughed, "teased it out of him. But the point is, we could help her speed things along. At Homecoming."

Stiles parked his car outside her apartment complex; he stayed quiet except for the sound of his fingers tapping against the steering wheel. I don't know, I don't know. "Even if I said yes, why do you want to?"

"Lydia's my best friend and she'd be happy with you."

His heart warmed at her sentiment, but he narrowed his eyes anyway. "You mean because of Scott."

"Scott is with Kira."

"Scott is almost with Kira. Allison, he still loves you."

"How would you know?"

"Because I know him. Besides, did you forget who went back and forth between you guys when you were hiding your relationship? Who had to repeat 'Oh, I love you' and 'no, I love you more'?" Stiles reminded her, fluttering his eyelashes and fanning himself. He smirked as she blushed at the memory, tucking a strand of hair behind an ear. At least he was having some fun with this: he'd wanted to say yes when she first suggested, but didn't. His ten year plan was much more important than inciting jealousy. Especially if it would make Scott hate him. _Not part of the plan._

"Let's just try it, tomorrow night. If it doesn't go well, we can just blame it on Homecoming. Say that we were both lonely and found comfort in each other and the night got away from us. And then the next day, we sobered up and realized how stupid it would be if we got together." Stiles left his mouth hanging open. She added, "Hunters always need a contingency plan. Especially the leaders."

Without a second, doubtful thought, he replied, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"I'll do it. I'll pick you up tomorrow night and we'll pretend it's a date."

* * *

Stiles stopped by the police station to drop off some food for his dad, knowing full well he skipped lunches on the daily. Unfortunately, his dad was already out on a case and he couldn't stay around and wait for his dad to come back to make sure he ate. He left the meal on his desk and looked for one of the deputies, in hopes of convincing them to force his dad to eat later that night. After speaking with the new guy, Parrish, he left, though completely skeptical of how young the deputy was.

As soon as he got back into the Jeep, his cell phone started to ring. Patting down his pockets, he grabbed his phone on the last ring, missing the picture he'd snapped of Lydia in his lacrosse jersey at one of the games. "Hello?"

"You don't have to go to the dance with her, you know," she said, bypassing the greeting completely.

"Lydia?" He looked back at his phone screen to confirm since she kept talking and wasn't listening to him. She was saying, "I know you probably feel bad since Scott's your best friend and the break-up was awkward. And none of us actually thought Scott would move on first with Kira, but it happened. And I know Ally feels about pity dates."

Something in her voice was off, like every word came out harsher than the last. "It's not a pity date. Even if it was, I think it's out of pity for me, Lyd. No one's been interested in me since Heather kissed me before, you know."

He could picture her twirling her hair as she stayed quiet, thinking about everything that happened with the sacrifices. Then, he suspected she was touching her neck at the thought of Ms. Blake before sighing deeply. "Maybe you're right. But I can find Allison a date. You don't have to worry about her."

"But Lyd," he said plainly, "if she has a date, who will I go with? It's too late for me to ask anyone." If Lydia hadn't had a habit of always breathing a bit too loudly, he would've assumed she hung up. Stiles checked his phone again and asked softly, "Hey, you still there?"

"I am!" She chimed, her voice harder than before. "There's nothing wrong with going stag, Stiles. It's only homecoming, it's not prom. I'm going alone."

"Yeah, but you're not leaving alone. I will be."

Neither of them spoke for a minute - Stiles had one hand tightly gripped around the steering wheel, waiting for her to say something else. "My mom needs me. I have to go."

"Wait! Are you going to try to find Allison a date?"

"Not if you don't want me to," she answered simply.

 _Pick your words carefully._ "I'd like it if you didn't, Lydia, but I won't stop you if you do."

Then she hung up on him.

* * *

Stiles opened his door, enjoying the cool breeze the night had to offer, before hopping out and clambering over to the other side to open the door for his date. It was just the two of them - Cora and Isaac had changed their minds, opting to take Isaac's new motorcycle out for a ride before the dance. They were lucky: the two spent the ride from the Argents' discussing the best ways to pretend they were on a real date.

Allison stepped out, thanked Stiles, and stood with her shoulders squared, staring at the balloon arch outside the entrance. He offered her his arm and admired how she managed to maintain perfect balance in what he considered to be extremely high heels. But she did look gorgeous in a black, backless dress and red heels. When he'd seen her at her apartment, Stiles had worried for a second that it was too much, since it wasn't an actual date.

They handed their tickets to some unfortunate freshman at the door, making their way into the gym. Immediately, the air had gone from breezy to stuffy - a result of the packed, sweaty bodies on the makeshift dance floor. The smell of booze and the bright, flashing, colored lights made it difficult for Stiles to concentrate, to remember what the game plan was. And he certainly couldn't hear what Allison was saying, so he simply followed her through the crowd of tipsy, excited students, looking for their friends. _I don't even know half of these people,_ he thought.

With one last push through a group of freshman doing the Robot, they saw Cora and Isaac, hands interlocked and everything, in the darkest corner of the room. Stiles wrapped his arm around Allison's shoulders, and in response, she curled into him, flashing a smile up at him.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" Cora and Isaac leapt apart, unsuccessfully untangling themselves in the midst of surprise. Allison laughed and said, "Please. Like we're that stupid. We've known for awhile."

Stiles raised his voice several octaves, "' _Oh,_ that leaves the two humans.' 'Stiles, we don't need a ride, I'm gonna ride Derek's bike and Isaac will take his.'"

"I don't sound like that," Cora growled, crossing her arms over her chest. Isaac slung his arm around her waist, pulling her into him. "But thank you for telling us you knew."

"I'm just having a hard time believing that quiet, unhelpful Isaac here has a girlfriend. Before me," he added, barely concealing his contempt.

Cora retorted, "Look at you, it's not that hard to understand."

"You Hales are absolutely my favorite people, I hope you know that."

Isaac rolled his eyes right before they dropped down to see Allison still clutching onto Stiles. "Why are you two all over each other?"

"We decided to make it a real date."

The two werewolves scoffed incredulously. "You realize we're werewolves, right?"

Right. Stiles smacked himself in the forehead. _Can't believe I forgot about that one little detail_. "Damn it. I thought I had my heartbeat under control."

"Lydia won't know, of course," Cora pointed out. "But Scott will."

"Good thing I'm not trying to make Scott jealous. I'm really happy for him and Kira. Like really, really happy." None of them said a word and Allison huffed, "Too many reallys, huh?"

Stiles winked and said, "Just a bit."

"I'm bored of this conversation now," Isaac interrupted, in a low voice. _Why do we keep you around? You talk so quietly that no one can hear you and you offer nothing to the conversation._ They stood, lights shining on them and revealing Cora's cut-out, leather dress. Allison wolf-whistled at her as she walked off, earning a glare from her and a stifled smirk from Isaac who followed closely behind.

"Where are Scott, Lydia, and Kira?" They scanned the room, occasionally tilting their heads toward each other and smiling every so often. Stiles finally sat down on the bleachers and Allison joined him, careful not to wrinkle her dress too much. His arm was slung around her, and he relaxed, especially since he knew they'd probably be late. Realizing neither of them had spoken for about five minutes, he asked about how her dad was doing, if he was adapting to their new code. They got lost in conversation, distracting themselves and keeping their eyes off the crowd. He kept his arm around her when she rested her head on his shoulder: it felt like a real date.

Stiles stayed surprisingly calm at the revelation, even as he and Allison realized they hadn't checked for their friends in awhile. She murmured, "I've spotted Ethan, Danny, and Aiden. And Lydia's not with him."

"Well, she just walked in." Stiles jerked his head towards the entrance where Lydia was standing. She was wearing a sequined dress and plunging neckline and kept her hair swept to the side. His date nudged him in the ribs for staring and he hadn't realized he'd held his breath. Kira, in a daring white slip dress, and Scott, arms linked tightly, stood behind Lydia.

"They look like a wedding cake topper," Allison muttered, drawing out a grin from Stiles. She pulled him up with her and slipped her hand into his. He tried to smile brightly at the trio as they walked towards them, but he could feel his palms already sweating. _Just be friendly and it won't be like you're lying, he reminded himself._

The trio walked over with ease, thanks to Lydia since everyone cleared a path for her to pass through the crowd. _Man, I forgot what she was like when she was queen._ The strawberry blonde was already starting to glare and when she made eye contact with Stiles, his chest tightened in pain.

"What are the two of you doing here? Alone?" Lydia asked them, smiling with no teeth. Scott kept looking back and forth between his ex-girlfriend and his best friend, obviously trying to listen to their heartbeats. Real smooth, Scott.

"Waiting for you guys," Allison answered, chuckling. "We found Cora and Isaac about half an hour ago. But then they decided to go dance, which sounded like an interesting spectacle, but we decided against it."

Kira smiled back at her, her arm still looped through Scott's, but Stiles couldn't help but notice how loose her grip had become. She replied sweetly, "Good decision. And Allison, you look gorgeous."

"Yeah," Lydia agreed, her voice too high again, "who are you trying to impress?"

"Thanks, guys. I did it for Stiles, of course." _That's why she looked so good_ , he realized, _I really had nothing to worry about._ When the trio gave them blank stares, she explained, "We were feeling sorry for ourselves, since we didn't want to go alone but we were pretty much stuck with each other yesterday. So we talked about it and decided to make it a real date. I put in a little more effort on my make-up, he bought me dinner…."

"The whole shebang," Scott finished for her. Stiles watched his hands, which were curled into fists. Weary the werewolf would let his emotions get the better of him, he said, low enough that only Scott could hear, "It's only Homecoming."

If Allison could insist that she was not trying to make Scott jealous, then surely it would be okay for Stiles to let his friend in on that fact. That it was just for tonight. So the werewolf gave a barely visible nod and took Kira to the dance floor, leaving the three of them alone.

Stiles flexed his hands, a movement that did not go unnoticed. Lydia observed, "This is pretty dead, huh? I was thinking about leaving early."

"You just got here," he blurted. Immediately, he took a step back, his hand breaking apart from Allison's. "I mean, already?"

"Mhm," she murmured, her gaze focusing on Aiden and his twin.

"Yeah, uh, if you want, I guess." His chest tightened more, something he didn't think was possible, and his breath caught in his throat. He felt like falling over. Allison reached for his hand again, steadying him, and Lydia whipped her head around.

"Scott's too nice of a guy to bring this up, but I will: is there something going on with you two?"

Allison flipped her perfectly curled hair over her shoulder and feigned innocence. "What?"

"You're holding hands, your heels are extremely high, and Stiles, you're wearing a bow-tie! Is there something I need to know about?" When neither of them answered - Stiles out of shock, Allison out of understanding - she nodded and said goodbye faintly, stepping away.

He watched her go, not in Aiden's direction, and his chest started to unwind, but his hands were still sticky with sweat. Beside him, Allison excused herself to follow her. Stiles stared, mind vacant, and his eyes slowly swept over the crowd. He could see Isaac and Cora dance as if they weren't surrounded by sweaty bodies, Danny and Ethan showing Scott how to move his hips as Kira watched and giggled, and even Malia Tate was on the dance floor with some plucky junior.

Sitting back down, he clasped his hands together, leaning forward, head down. Scott, who must've been keeping tabs on him, appeared next to him, patting his back. "You hear my heartbeat in this noise?"

"Always."

They sat there, neither saying a word, just watching Danny and Ethan keep Kira company. Eventually Malia joined them, rounding out the group. _Say something. You're the one who showed up with his first love without mentioning it to him this morning._ But he didn't know what to say.

Luckily, Scott spoke first. "I'll never be able to un-love her."

Stiles didn't say anything, still watching as Malia tugged on Kira's hand, helping her loosen up to the obnoxious, pop song. "Even as amazing as she is, I can't seem to picture myself loving her. Loving her more than Allison."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I see the way you look at Lydia. It's more than how you used to look at her. And her affection towards you has grown in ways I genuinely thought were impossible. I never saw it happening," he said. _When did he get so smart?_ "Stiles, man, I lost Allison. But you don't have to lose Lydia. Not like this."

Allison entered the gym again, managing a weak smile as she caught Stiles' gaze. Cora and Isaac intercepted her before she could make her way back over to the bleachers. Stiles looked back at Scott, who was absolutely fixated on Allison. "You're right about Lydia. But you didn't lose Allison."

"What?"

"She still loves you, Scott."

He didn't say a word in response to Stiles' explanation. Instead, he looked from Allison to his actual date, who was now comfortably dancing with their friends. "But Kira-"

"Deserves someone who isn't stuck on someone else."

Stiles noticed Allison crept away from the couple, who were clearly having a moment as Isaac cupped Cora's face, and to the boys, mustering up another smile. "Lydia refuses to speak to me. Says I'm hurting you, Scott, by being here with your best friend. I'm sorry if that's true."

Scott shrugged and gestured to the remaining four friends on the dance floor. "You should come dance with me and them."

"What about Stiles?" She asked, glancing at him inquisitively.

He glanced around them, noticed Aiden was missing, and said, "Yeah, I'll come with." Stiles followed closely behind them, watching the way Scott brushed his arm against Allison's, the same way he did when they first met, and the way she smiled at him, her dimples finally showing again. Kira would understand, especially when he saw her eyes light up earlier when Malia asked if she could dance with them. This pack was complicated, but at least they were family.

They danced song after song after song, the loud dance beats pounding in his ears. The girls unashamedly sung along with off-key, off-melody voices and the boys attempted to dance alongside them, refusing to do anything more than swing their hips and raise their arms in the air.

Stiles twirled Kira and Malia around and even managed to convince Cora and Isaac to join their little circle. He was breathing heavily, tired from jumping and dancing to familiar 90s songs, when he stopped and saw Aiden come back into the gym with a senior cheerleader, whose dress was mussed and wrinkled. The pack forgot about Lydia, not realizing she'd been off by herself, and his stomach dropped. _Peter_.

The music slowed down and so did the jumping students. He spun around and around, making sure he hadn't just missed her come back in to dance. Someone grabbed his wrist - the way Lydia always did when she dragged him shopping - and for a brief second, he was relieved. But it was just Allison. "Are you okay?"

"What? Y-yeah. I think I'll just go find Lydia." He ducked out, quickly, running towards the doors that led to the school hallway. The school was dark and cold, the silence deafening. The sound of his dress shoes tapping against the tiled floor echoed throughout and as he moved faster and faster, the sound only made his heart more frantic. He wandered hurriedly, his hair messed up from running his fingers through it too many times.

He wanted to give up, retreat back to the gym and form a search party, but then he caught a glimpse of shining strawberry blonde hair in his English classroom. In their English classroom. She was propped up on one of the desks, swinging her legs and watching the moon. He stood next to her, laying his palm flat on the desk and leaning towards her. "Remember the first day of school when all those birds flew into the window?"

"And you somehow managed to protect me," she answered softly, her lips curving upward at the memory. "What are you doing here, Stiles?"

"You were missing. And since I saw Aiden still in there…." He trailed off, shrugging at the end of his sentence. "I was worried."

"As soon as I got here, he texted me, wanting to leave and hook up. And I don't blame him, I made it quite clear that's all I wanted too. But then I saw you and Allison." He pulled up another desk, the chair squeaking loudly as the legs scraped against the plastic tiles. "She's just using you to make Scott jealous."

"So?"

"I don't want you to get hurt."

Stiles tugged playfully at Lydia's hands. She relented and he said, "That's really sweet of you, but I don't have feelings for Allison."

"Then what-"

"I like you. I thought if I came with her-"

"I'd get jealous?"

"It was wrong, I know that. And I know how you feel about me: we're just friends."

Her hand pulled out from his and she folded her arms over her chest. "If you know that, why did you think making me jealous would work at all?"

"Because, I needed you to confirm that for me. And you did." She finally looked at him then, eyebrows furrowing at his words. Stiles explained, "You were worried about what Allison was doing to Scott."

"I didn't care that much," she mumbled. _Lydia never mumbles_. He turned his entire body towards hers and gently lifted her chin. "I cared that you came with her. Is that what you wanted me to say?"

"You didn't have to say anything," Stiles admitted.

"Then why did you come here?"

"Because Scott spent months thinking he lost Allison and never told her. They never talked. And I-I-" his voice started to crack, "needed you to know how I felt. In case I lost you."

Lydia didn't speak, her mouth slightly open in awe, still looking up at him. So Stiles kept talking. "We reset the supernatural clock for Beacon Hills, and I'm betting more dangerous creatures are gonna start showing up. S-so you needed to know, Lydia, that you are the one for me."

"You believe that?" She whispered.

He whispered back, "Yes. I've seen werewolves and kanimas and banshees. Fate exists, or at least a ten year plan an 8 year old boy came up with does."

She carefully and deliberately stepped down from the table, her hand bringing Stiles off of his too. But Lydia pressed her body against his and wrapped her hand around his neck, and for a second, he stumbled. Their lips brushed and Stiles had to will his knees not to buckle.

"You're holding your breath," she teased, touching her lips to his again. He sighed, leaning into another kiss, and wrapped his arms around Lydia's waist. Whimpering as he deepened the kiss, she murmured something that sounded like, "Fate."

They continued to tug and tease, smiling as they kissed, and all Stiles could think was how this was it. _Fate._


End file.
